If your bird is healthy it will have a set of feathers that are brightly colored and vibrant, however, a variety of things can cause your bird’s feathers to change color.
This article explores why your parakeet’s feathers are turning brown.
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Why are my parakeet’s feathers turning brown?
You can usually tell how healthy a bird is by looking at a few key features on the bird, one of which are the bird’s feathers.
Here is why your once colorful parakeet’s feathers may be turning brown.
Dirt:
One reason why your parakeet’s feathers may start to look brown may simply be that there is dirt on your bird’s feathers or rust from the bird’s cage.
If there is dirt, or, rust, in your bird’s cage or on its perch, and the bird is rubbing against these dirty or rusty areas then the bird’s feathers can start to look brown.
Parakeets need to bathe several times a week, if they don’t then the dirt from their environment can get onto their feathers making the feathers look brown.
What to do:
Start off by bathing the bird to see if it is in fact dirty, if the bird is dirty then the dirt will come off in the water that your bird is bathing in.
Once the parakeet is clean check the bird’s cage for dirt and rust. If the perches are dirty with feces and dirt then clean this up as well.
The bird’s cage should be cleaned at least once a week using a non-toxic disinfectant soap. Rusty cage bars can be cleaned by scrubbing them lightly with a wire brush.
As long as the bird is not distressed, and your bird is behaving normally, then you have nothing to worry about.
Feather bronzing:
Another reason why your parakeet’s feathers may be turning brown may be because the bird has feather bronzing.
Your bird’s feathers are not all one color, feathers are actually brown and have a thin layer of pigment on top of them which is what we see as the color of the feathers.
If your parakeet is rough with its feathers, rubs them too much, or if the bird is pet too much then this can remove the pigment layer on your bird’s feathers and expose the brown color beneath the pigment.
What to do:
You don’t have to worry too much about parakeets that have feather bronzing, it is common but not a detriment to the bird’s health.
As long as the bird isn’t showing signs of distress then the bird should be fine.
While this isn’t a medical condition that needs medical treatment, you should look into why your bird is being rough with its feathers to the point where the pigment is being rubbed off.
One reason why your parakeet may be rubbing itself so much may be because the humidity in the room is too low and drying out the bird’s skin causing the bird to scratch itself.
If this is the case, then try using a humidifier in the room and see how it goes.
You’d have to wait until these feathers fall off at the next molt and wait for the feather regrowth stage to allow new feathers to grow in.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Can You Bathe A Baby Cockatiel?, Baby Cockatiel Not Digesting, Baby Cockatiel Not Pooping, Cockatiel Diarrhea Egg-Laying, My New Cockatiel Is Scared Of Me, Can 2 Male Cockatiels Be In The Same Cage?, Cockatiel Flirting Behavior